Boy Sets fire incorporates an eclectic range of styles that dominate the last album. Was the sound something you set out to do, or is it created from the band’s different influences?
We’ve always done that since we first started, but I think it’s just matured over the years. It’s what I call musical schizophrenia. Ever since we got together we all have had a very strange taste in music, and our influences have gone anywhere from folk to country to hardcore and punk to metal, hip-hop and pop. If you would look at any of our album collections it would just be ridiculous. The diversity just comes out in what we do.

As the vocalist, do you find it difficult to constantly switch between singing and screaming during live shows? Did you take any voice lessons?
I was in the choir throughout school, and I did all-state chorus… stuff like that, but no real training other then that. The vocals just come out naturally when I’m singing songs I like to sing. I like mixing up different sounds with my voice. I’ve been doing it for a while so it’s sort of second nature now.

What do you think of the current state of punk rock? Five years ago mediocre bands were selling out arenas, and now they’re back to playing VFW halls. Having been around through the change, how have you seen things alter?
I haven’t seen things alter so much as splitting. We’ve split a scene with bigger bands that pack out clubs, and then you’ve got the DIY ethic bands that play smaller venues, and don’t try to get bigger then a certain point. They reach what they deem to be their pinnacle and they don’t try to go farther then that. As far as the state of punk, I think that for the most part a lot of bands wised up on the fact that they put a lot of trust in the DIY thing for a while and it failed them. It just turned into a bunch of elitist snobs who wouldn’t except anybody. What started out as a rebellion against the music industry and the system turned into a bunch of elitists trying to be cooler then everybody else, and calling each other hypocrites. A lot of people wised up and got out of that, and went and did their own thing. They went out to try and get as big as they can, and not put faith in dumb little punk ideas. They are going to go out and actually do something.

How far are you willing to let this band go? You guys have a message that you’re trying to get out through your music. Would you like to get big and have it spread out through the masses like Rage Against The Machine?
I don’t see much of a point in doing this unless we do. Or unless we try to. If we don’t that’s really not up to us, but what is up to us is to work our asses off to try to get that big. Otherwise there isn’t much of a reason to try to spread that message if it’s only going to reach a couple of people. As far as bands who want to spend their entire career, that’s fine. If that’s what you want to do, then do it. However, if you’re a political band I think you’re making a big mistake by doing that. I think it hinders the message.

What organizations are you currently a part of that you would want the readers to be aware of?
One organization that we invited to come with us on our last tour is Refuse and Resist. They have a lot of anarchist/socialist/ communist literature, and also stuff about political prisoner and things of that nature. Also Michael Moore is a writer who has a lot of great ideas. Josh and I both belong to the Communist party in the US. Whether you agree with the ideology or not, it’s definitely important check out different political systems and parties to find out where they fit in, and what changes they would like to make.

What would you like to see come out of the Communist party in the US?
Me, personally, number one I’d like to see them all stop arguing with each other about dumb shit, and actually change something. I think CP USA has a really good plan for educating people with literature, and also trying to get votes and things of that nature. I think there is a lot of in-fighting though that has to stop before they try to make a difference. Also, I’m really into worker’s rights, especially in this time and age with NAFTA, INS, World Bank, and things of that nature, where you’ve go huge corporations now getting power, at a time of record profit, to move their company to Mexico, even though they’re doing fine where they are, and kick a bunch of people out of their jobs. So, I’m absolutely pro-union, and that’s one of things that got me into the communist party.

Do you ever wonder that if there was ever a communist America that it would mutate into a Soviet Union?
It’s not the same thing. What happened in the USSR and China aren’t communism in theory. It was called that, but that’s not how it’s suppose to workout. Communism doesn’t equal dictatorship, and what happened in those situations were that the violent tzars were thrown out and replaced by dictators. Just like in this country, you have people in power now who want to keep that power. True communism is not really something that you can compare.